ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• New method to closely model diseases caused by splicing defects
• Need an expert? Try the crowd
• Meditation reduces loneliness
• Fish brain development provides new insights into how vascular networks form
• Study demonstrates that one extinction leads to another
• Blood type may influence heart disease risk
• Widespread local 'extinctions' in tropical forest ‘remnants’
• Dark chocolate, cocoa compounds, may reduce blood pressure
• Online obesity treatment programmes show promise
• An artificial retina with the capacity to restore normal vision
• Health consequences of meltdown, damage to Fukushima nuclear power plants in Japan
• Do host cities get an economic 'Olympic bounce'?
• Yo-yo dieting does not thwart weight loss efforts or alter metabolism long term, study finds
• Deep inside the body, tiny mechanical microscope diagnoses disease
• Scientists can now block heroin, morphine addiction
• Researchers feed pigs, chickens high-protein fungus grown on ethanol leftovers
• Orbiter views NASA's new Mars rover in color
• 'Strawberry' birthmarks grow rapidly when babies just weeks old
• Seeing sprites: Researchers catch glimpses of electromagnetic bursts high in Earth's atmosphere
• Girls with ADHD more prone to self-injury, suicide as they enter adulthood
• How do they do it? Predictions are in for Arctic sea ice low point
• Researchers simulate volcanic eruptions: Large-scale experiment to shed light on powerful natural disaster
• Overweight and obese women more likely to have large babies
• Fish are warmer, faster, stronger: Unexpected benefits of living in a changing climate, biologists find
• New book explores 'Noah's flood': Says Bible and science can get along
• Mass spectrometry opens new frontiers in a single cell
• Renaissance women fought men, and won
• Plants exhibit a wide range of mechanical properties, engineers find
• Quark matter’s connection with the Higgs: Heavy ion collisions delve deeper into the origin of (visible) mass
• US wind power market riding a wave that is likely to crest in 2012
• Mutation in male moth's antenna lets him find a female at the other end of a football field
• New process doubles production of alternative fuel while slashing costs
• Remaking history: A new take on how evolution has shaped modern Europeans
• Dead men do tell tales: Sociologist used 100 years of obituaries as cultural barometer
• Engineers assess Dawn spacecraft's reaction wheel
• Success of engineered tissue depends on where it's grown
• Scientists devise new strategy to destroy multiple myeloma
• Impulsive micromanager microbes help plants adapt, survive
• Closing in on the border between primordial plasma and ordinary matter
• Studies seek better understanding and treatment of depression
• Social behavior of cancer cells leads experts to suggest launching 'social networking war' against cancer
• Hearing the telltale sounds of dangerous chemicals
• Nearly 1,000 earthquakes recorded in Arizona over three years
• New research promises quiet cars -- even when hitting unexpected bumps in the road
• Scientists decode TREX which could see new treatments for cancer realized
• Engineered pancreatic tissues could lead to better transplants for diabetics
• Seeds of hope amidst Philippine floods: Rice that can survive underwater
• Graphene's behavior depends on where it sits: Materials beneath determine how it react chemically and electrically
• Feedback can have a negative impact on performance
• Macabre finds in the bog at Alken Enge, Denmark: Skeletal remains of hundreds of warriors unearthed
• Vaccine for heart disease? New discovery points to possibility
• How cancer cells 'hijack' a mechanism to grow
• A model designed to balance the bolting load of wind turbines developed
• Scientists uncover strategy able to dramatically reduce chemotherapy’s side effects
• Tongue pacemaker for snoring successfully implanted
• Military aircraft will soon be quieter
• Girls with ADHD at risk for self-injury, suicide attempts as young adults
• Potent human toxins prevalent in Canada's freshwaters
• Gene variants that increase risk of obsessive-compulsive disorder and Tourette syndrome identified
• Scientists discover new type of virus responsible for a devastating disease in snakes

New method to closely model diseases caused by splicing defects Posted: 14 Aug 2012 06:36 PM PDT Researchers have developed a new way of making animal models for a broad class of human genetic diseases -- those with pathology caused by errors in the splicing of RNA messages copied from genes. The new modeling approach can provide unique insights into how certain diseases progress and is likely to boost efforts to develop novel treatments. It was tested successfully in mouse analogs of human spinal muscular atrophy.

Need an expert? Try the crowd Posted: 14 Aug 2012 06:36 PM PDT Can a crowd be an expert? Apparently, yes. Scientists have created the first-ever crowd-sourced predictive model.

Meditation reduces loneliness Posted: 14 Aug 2012 06:36 PM PDT Researchers now report that a simple meditation program lasting just eight weeks reduced loneliness in older adults. Further, knowing that loneliness is associated with an increase in the activity of inflammation-related genes that can promote many different diseases, the researchers report this same form of meditation significantly reduced expression of inflammatory genes.

Fish brain development provides new insights into how vascular networks form Posted: 14 Aug 2012 06:35 PM PDT How the intricate network of blood vessels forms within the brain has long fascinated biologists. This network, or vessel vasculature, in the human brain consists of a complex branching network of blood vessels, in total some several hundred miles in length. Abnormalities can lead to various neurological disorders, including strokes, learning difficulties and neurodegeneration.

Study demonstrates that one extinction leads to another Posted: 14 Aug 2012 06:35 PM PDT When a carnivore becomes extinct, other predatory species could soon follow, according to new research. Scientists have previously put forward this theory, but now biologists have carried out the first experiment to show it. The study shows how the demise of one carnivore species can indirectly cause another to become extinct. The research team believes any extinction can create a ripple effect across a food web, with far-reaching consequences for many other animals.

Blood type may influence heart disease risk Posted: 14 Aug 2012 06:34 PM PDT People with blood type A, B, or AB had a higher risk for coronary heart disease when compared to those with blood type O, according to new research.

Widespread local 'extinctions' in tropical forest ‘remnants’ Posted: 14 Aug 2012 06:34 PM PDT The small fragments of tropical forests left behind after deforestation are suffering extensive species extinction, according to new research.

Dark chocolate, cocoa compounds, may reduce blood pressure Posted: 14 Aug 2012 06:33 PM PDT Compounds in cocoa may help to reduce blood pressure, according to a new systematic review. The researchers reviewed evidence from short-term trials in which participants were given dark chocolate or cocoa powder daily and found that their blood pressure dropped slightly compared to a control group.

Online obesity treatment programmes show promise Posted: 14 Aug 2012 06:33 PM PDT Computer and web-based weight management programs may provide a cost effective way of addressing the growing problem of obesity, according to a recent review. The researcher found that delivering weight loss or weight maintenance programs online or by computer helped overweight and obese patients lose and/or maintain weight.

An artificial retina with the capacity to restore normal vision Posted: 14 Aug 2012 06:33 PM PDT For the first time, researchers decipher the retina's neural code for brain communication to create novel, more effective prosthetic retinal device for blindness.

Health consequences of meltdown, damage to Fukushima nuclear power plants in Japan Posted: 14 Aug 2012 06:32 PM PDT Researchers report on the psychological status of workers at the Fukushima nuclear power plants in Japan several months after the earthquake and tsunami in March 2011, and the amount of internal radiation exposure among residents of a city north of the power plant that experienced a meltdown.

Do host cities get an economic 'Olympic bounce'? Posted: 14 Aug 2012 06:32 PM PDT Does the modern model of economic revitalization through hosting the Olympic Games really work for cities?

Yo-yo dieting does not thwart weight loss efforts or alter metabolism long term, study finds Posted: 14 Aug 2012 06:32 PM PDT A new study by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, published online in the journal Metabolism, for the first time has shown that a history of yo-yo dieting does not negatively affect metabolism or the ability to lose weight long term.

Deep inside the body, tiny mechanical microscope diagnoses disease Posted: 14 Aug 2012 06:32 PM PDT Tiny space age probes -- those that can see inside single living cells -- are increasingly being used to diagnose illness in hard-to-reach areas of the body.

Scientists can now block heroin, morphine addiction Posted: 14 Aug 2012 06:32 PM PDT In a major breakthrough, an international team of scientists has proven that addiction to morphine and heroin can be blocked, while at the same time increasing pain relief.

Researchers feed pigs, chickens high-protein fungus grown on ethanol leftovers Posted: 14 Aug 2012 06:32 PM PDT A research team is feeding fungi grown on the leftovers of ethanol production to pigs and chickens. The feed-production process also cleans water used to make ethanol, boosting the amount of water that can be recycled back into biofuels.

Orbiter views NASA's new Mars rover in color Posted: 14 Aug 2012 05:18 PM PDT The first color image taken from orbit showing NASA's rover Curiosity on Mars includes details of the layered bedrock on the floor of Gale Crater that the rover is beginning to investigate.

'Strawberry' birthmarks grow rapidly when babies just weeks old Posted: 14 Aug 2012 11:49 AM PDT Strawberry-shaped birthmarks called infantile hemangiomas grow rapidly in infants much earlier than previously thought, researchers have found. Their study suggests that babies with complication-causing hemangiomas should be immediately referred to dermatologists for further evaluation.

Seeing sprites: Researchers catch glimpses of electromagnetic bursts high in Earth's atmosphere Posted: 14 Aug 2012 11:48 AM PDT High above the clouds during thunderstorms, some 50 miles above Earth a different kind of lightning dances. Bursts of red and blue light, known as "sprites," flash for a scant one thousandth of a second. They are often only visible to those in flight above a storm, and happen so quickly you might not even see it unless you chance to be looking directly at it. One hard-to-reach place that gets a good view of sprites is the International Space Station.

Girls with ADHD more prone to self-injury, suicide as they enter adulthood Posted: 14 Aug 2012 11:21 AM PDT Girls with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) -- and their families -- often look forward to the likely decline in visible symptoms such as fidgety or disruptive behavior as they mature into young women. However, new findings caution that, as they enter adulthood, girls with histories of ADHD are more prone to internalize their struggles and feelings of failure -- a development that can manifest itself in self-injury and even attempted suicide.

How do they do it? Predictions are in for Arctic sea ice low point Posted: 14 Aug 2012 11:20 AM PDT Each year scientists predict the low point of Arctic Sea ice. The final predictions were released Aug. 13. But how do they do it? Researchers used some new techniques this year in hopes of improving the accuracy of their prediction.

Researchers simulate volcanic eruptions: Large-scale experiment to shed light on powerful natural disaster Posted: 14 Aug 2012 11:20 AM PDT A rare large-scale attempt to simulate volcanic eruptions will provide much-needed insight into one of Earth's most powerful and mysterious natural disasters.

Overweight and obese women more likely to have large babies Posted: 14 Aug 2012 10:52 AM PDT Women who are overweight or obese are more likely to deliver infants who are large for their gestational age at delivery, regardless of whether they develop gestational diabetes during their pregnancy, according to a new study.

Fish are warmer, faster, stronger: Unexpected benefits of living in a changing climate, biologists find Posted: 14 Aug 2012 10:51 AM PDT Biologists suggest that growing up at warmer temperatures helps some aquatic animals cope with climate change, raising questions about the limits of adaptation. They found that when embryos raised in warm water experienced temperature variation as adults, they could swim faster and their muscle was better suited for aerobic exercise.

New book explores 'Noah's flood': Says Bible and science can get along Posted: 14 Aug 2012 10:51 AM PDT A geologist, is the author of a new book that explores the long history of religious thinking on matters of geological discovery, particularly flood stories such as the biblical account of Noah's ark.

Mass spectrometry opens new frontiers in a single cell Posted: 14 Aug 2012 10:01 AM PDT Pioneering mass spectrometry methods are helping plant biologists get their first glimpses of never-before-seen plant tissue structures. The new method opens up new realms of study, ones that might have long-ranging implications for biofuels research and crop genetics.

Renaissance women fought men, and won Posted: 14 Aug 2012 10:00 AM PDT A three-year study into a set of manuscripts compiled and written by one of Britain's earliest feminist figures has revealed new insights into how women challenged male authority in the 17th century.

Plants exhibit a wide range of mechanical properties, engineers find Posted: 14 Aug 2012 09:20 AM PDT From an engineer's perspective, plants such as palm trees, bamboo, maples and even potatoes are examples of precise engineering on a microscopic scale. Like wooden beams reinforcing a house, cell walls make up the structural supports of all plants. Depending on how the cell walls are arranged, and what they are made of, a plant can be as flimsy as a reed, or as sturdy as an oak.

Quark matter’s connection with the Higgs: Heavy ion collisions delve deeper into the origin of (visible) mass Posted: 14 Aug 2012 09:14 AM PDT You may think you've heard everything you need to know about the origin of mass. After all, scientists colliding protons at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in Europe recently presented stunning evidence strongly suggesting the existence of a long-sought particle called the Higgs boson, thought to "impart mass to matter." But while the Higgs particle may be responsible for the mass of fundamental particles such as quarks, quarks alone can't account for the mass of most of the visible matter in the universe -- that's everything we see and sense around us.

US wind power market riding a wave that is likely to crest in 2012 Posted: 14 Aug 2012 09:11 AM PDT Facing looming policy uncertainty beyond 2012, the US remained one of the fastest-growing wind power markets in the world in 2011 -- second only to China -- according to a new report. Driven by the threat of expiring federal incentives, new wind power installations are widely expected to be substantially higher in 2012 than in 2011, and perhaps even in excess of 2009's record build.

Mutation in male moth's antenna lets him find a female at the other end of a football field Posted: 14 Aug 2012 09:11 AM PDT A female moth sitting on a goal post could attract a male moth on the other end of a football field. And even if she switched her scent over time, the male could still find her because of a mutation to a single gene in his antenna.

New process doubles production of alternative fuel while slashing costs Posted: 14 Aug 2012 09:11 AM PDT A new discovery should make the alternative fuel butanol more attractive to the biofuel industry. Scientists have found a way around the bottleneck that has frustrated producers in the past and could significantly reduce the cost of the energy involved in making it as well.

Remaking history: A new take on how evolution has shaped modern Europeans Posted: 14 Aug 2012 09:11 AM PDT Investigators say that new analytical techniques are changing long-held, simplistic views about the evolutionary history of humans in Europe. Their findings indicate that many cultural, climatic, and demographic events have shaped genetic variation among modern-day European populations and that the variety of those mechanisms is more diverse than previously thought.

Dead men do tell tales: Sociologist used 100 years of obituaries as cultural barometer Posted: 14 Aug 2012 09:10 AM PDT You know you're living in a culture of celebrity when the Twitter for the president of the United States ranks No. 6, trailing behind rock stars Justin Bieber and Katy Perry by millions of followers. But have celebrities always trumped achievers for public attention? A sociologist has used 100 years of New York Times obituaries as a cultural barometer.

Engineers assess Dawn spacecraft's reaction wheel Posted: 14 Aug 2012 08:29 AM PDT Engineers working on NASA's Dawn spacecraft are assessing the status of a reaction wheel -- part of a system that helps the spacecraft point precisely -- after onboard software powered it off on Aug. 8. Dawn's mission is to study the geology and geochemistry of the giant asteroid Vesta and dwarf planet Ceres, the two most massive objects in the main asteroid belt. Dawn is now using its thrusters to point at Earth for communications. The rest of the spacecraft is otherwise healthy.

Success of engineered tissue depends on where it's grown Posted: 14 Aug 2012 08:10 AM PDT Researchers have now shown that implanted cells' therapeutic properties depend on their shape, which is determined by the type of scaffold on which they are grown. The work could allow scientists to develop even more effective implants and also target many other diseases, including cancer.

Scientists devise new strategy to destroy multiple myeloma Posted: 14 Aug 2012 08:09 AM PDT Researchers are reporting promising results from laboratory and animal experiments involving a new combination therapy for multiple myeloma, the second most common form of blood cancer.

Impulsive micromanager microbes help plants adapt, survive Posted: 14 Aug 2012 08:09 AM PDT Soil microbes are impulsive. So much so that they help plants face the challenges of a rapidly changing climate. Biologists have studied how plants and microbes work together to help plants survive the effects of global changes.

Closing in on the border between primordial plasma and ordinary matter Posted: 14 Aug 2012 08:09 AM PDT Scientists have observed first glimpses of a possible boundary separating ordinary nuclear matter, composed of protons and neutrons, from the seething soup of their constituent quarks and gluons that permeated the early universe.

Studies seek better understanding and treatment of depression Posted: 14 Aug 2012 08:09 AM PDT Connecting the dots between two molecules whose levels are decreased in depression and increased by current antidepressants could yield new therapies, researchers say. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that enables brain cells to communicate and brain-derived neurotropic factor, or BDNF, is a brain-nourishing molecule that also aids connectivity. Popular antidepressants such as Prozac, developed to increase levels of serotonin, have recently been found to also increase BDNF levels.

Social behavior of cancer cells leads experts to suggest launching 'social networking war' against cancer Posted: 14 Aug 2012 08:09 AM PDT A researcher says that cancer scientists should look to cyber-warfare tactics to fight the body's deadly enemy.

Hearing the telltale sounds of dangerous chemicals Posted: 14 Aug 2012 08:09 AM PDT Researchers have developed a new chemical sensor that can simultaneously identify multiple nerve agents.

Nearly 1,000 earthquakes recorded in Arizona over three years Posted: 14 Aug 2012 08:09 AM PDT Researchers have used EarthScope data to build the first comprehensive earthquake catalog for Arizona.

New research promises quiet cars -- even when hitting unexpected bumps in the road Posted: 14 Aug 2012 08:09 AM PDT New research featuring a mathematical model for quick-response, noise-cancellation designed to minimize sudden and unexpected noise caused by road hazards -- bumps or potholes for example -- has just been developed.

Scientists decode TREX which could see new treatments for cancer realized Posted: 14 Aug 2012 08:09 AM PDT Scientists have decoded the processes which create proteins in all forms of life which - for the first time - opens the door to fixing these problems which can cause fatal health problems like motor neuron disease, myotonic dystrophy and cancer.

Engineered pancreatic tissues could lead to better transplants for diabetics Posted: 14 Aug 2012 08:07 AM PDT Researchers have built pancreatic tissue with insulin-secreting cells, surrounded by a three-dimensional network of blood vessels. When they transplanted the tissue into diabetic mice, the cells began functioning well enough to lower blood sugar levels in the mice. The engineered tissue could pave the way for improved tissue transplants to treat diabetes.

Seeds of hope amidst Philippine floods: Rice that can survive underwater Posted: 14 Aug 2012 07:03 AM PDT Amidst horrendous flooding around Manila and major rice-growing across Luzon in the Philippines, some good news has emerged for rice farmers -- Submarino rice -- rice that can survive around two weeks of being under water.

Graphene's behavior depends on where it sits: Materials beneath determine how it react chemically and electrically Posted: 14 Aug 2012 07:03 AM PDT Surprising new experiments show that a one-atom-thick material called graphene, a form of pure carbon whose atoms are joined in a chicken-wire-like lattice, behaves quite differently depending on the nature of material it's wrapped around.

Feedback can have a negative impact on performance Posted: 14 Aug 2012 07:03 AM PDT When people receive feedback during complex decision-making tasks, their performance gets worse according to a new study.

Macabre finds in the bog at Alken Enge, Denmark: Skeletal remains of hundreds of warriors unearthed Posted: 14 Aug 2012 07:03 AM PDT A fractured skull and a thighbone hacked in half. Finds of damaged human bones along with axes, spears, clubs and shields confirm that the bog at Alken Enge was the site of violent conflict.

Vaccine for heart disease? New discovery points to possibility Posted: 14 Aug 2012 07:02 AM PDT Researchers have identified the specific type of immune cells that orchestrate the inflammatory attack on the artery wall, which is a major contributor to plaque buildup in heart disease. Further, researchers discovered that these immune cells are launching their attack in response to normal proteins that the body mistakes as being foreign, an autoimmune type response that points up the possibility of developing a tolerogenic vaccine for heart disease.

How cancer cells 'hijack' a mechanism to grow Posted: 14 Aug 2012 07:02 AM PDT Researchers have discovered a mechanism that explains how some cancer cells "hijack" a biological process to potentially activate cell growth and the survival of cancer gene expression.

A model designed to balance the bolting load of wind turbines developed Posted: 14 Aug 2012 07:02 AM PDT A researcher has built a simplified simulation model for wind turbines. All one has to do is enter the characteristics that the tower and its parts will have, and in a matter of seconds the model predicts the load that has to be given to each of the bolts, which leads to great advantages in the construction and maintenance process.

Scientists uncover strategy able to dramatically reduce chemotherapy’s side effects Posted: 14 Aug 2012 07:02 AM PDT Researchers have confirmed their hypothesis that normalizing blood vessels by blocking oxygen sensor PHD2 would make chemotherapy more effective. They also demonstrated for the first time that this strategy would reduce the harmful side effects of chemotherapy on healthy organs.

Tongue pacemaker for snoring successfully implanted Posted: 14 Aug 2012 07:02 AM PDT The first tongue pacemaker was implanted Europe-wide that prevents pauses in breathing during sleep and helps protect against snoring. Physicians used the device for a patient who suffers from obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. In this, at times life-threatening illness, pauses in breathing can occur when the upper throat muscles are excessively relaxed during sleep. As a result, parts of the respiratory tract narrow and the person has difficulty breathing. The typical snoring noises occur when the affected person tries with great effort to get air through the blocked airways.

Military aircraft will soon be quieter Posted: 14 Aug 2012 07:02 AM PDT Innovations on reducing the noise of the United State's most sophisticated military aircraft have been developed.

Girls with ADHD at risk for self-injury, suicide attempts as young adults Posted: 14 Aug 2012 07:01 AM PDT Girls with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder are significantly more likely to attempt suicide or injure themselves as young adults than girls who do not have ADHD, according to new research.

Potent human toxins prevalent in Canada's freshwaters Posted: 14 Aug 2012 05:55 AM PDT Nutrient pollution, one of the greatest threats to our freshwater resources, is responsible for the algal blooms that blanket our lakes and waterways in summer months. Large blooms of cyanobacteria ('blue green algae') can cause fish kills, increase the cost of drinking water treatment, devalue shoreline properties, and pose health risks to people, pets, and wildlife. Microcystin, a toxin produced by cyanobacteria, is present in Canadian lakes in every province, according to new research.

Gene variants that increase risk of obsessive-compulsive disorder and Tourette syndrome identified Posted: 14 Aug 2012 05:55 AM PDT Two new articles may help identify gene variants that contribute to the risks of developing obsessive-compulsive disorder or Tourette syndrome. Both studies are the first genome-wide association studies in the largest groups of individuals affected by the conditions.

Scientists discover new type of virus responsible for a devastating disease in snakes Posted: 14 Aug 2012 05:55 AM PDT A mysterious condition called inclusion body disease strikes captive boa constrictors and pythons, causing bizarre behavioral changes and eventually death. Scientists report they may well have found a virus that is responsible for this common but deadly disease, a discovery that could eventually lead to prevention and treatment options.

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